The Hospital da Luz network, together with Hospital do Mar, now has a new offer of mental health care for adults, which includes psychiatric hospitalization for people in the acute phase of their mental health problems. This is an innovative offer in the private healthcare sector in the Lisbon region that seeks to respond to the growing need for this type of care. Grupo Luz Saúde investment in this area involves Hospital do Mar and the entire Hospital da Luz network, through an integrated offer of care, that is, providing psychiatry and psychology consultations in the HL network and inpatient psychiatric unit at Hospital do Mar. The adult mental health inpatient unit that has just opened at Hospital do Mar is the big news of this new care offer: It has 14 beds (in single and double rooms) and a specialized and complete healthcare team of psychiatrists, nurses, medical assistants, psychologists, occupational therapists, and social workers. “Close monitoring is prioritized, carried out by a healthcare team with training and experience in the area, without neglecting family support, which is fundamental in the recovery processes from mental health problems”, as explained by Manuel Caldas de Almeida, director of the Hospital do Mar. It will always be of short or medium duration: it is intended for people with psychiatric disorders in the acute phase, when there is a need for clinical care that cannot be provided at home or in other non-hospital care levels or when the need for rest is identified family members or caregivers. “We talk about situations related to disorders such as depression, severe anxiety, schizophrenia and other psychoses, bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders, severe burnout syndrome, various addictions (alcohol dependence, for example), among others”, says the team doctor, adding: “The indication for admission to Hospital do Mar is given by a psychiatrist in an assessment carried out in the unit itself and with a view to admission.” Referral for this admission to Hospital do Mar can thus be made by different health professionals and at different levels of care: By the patient's assistant psychiatrist. By the patient's family doctor. At the request of the patient, a family member or caregiver or legal representative. Through the LUZ 24 – 217 104 424 service – available 24 hours/day, 365 days, which, based on clinical nursing screening, will guide patients on the care to follow. The new mental health service at Hospital da Luz and Hospital do Mar is now operational.
